Novel screening intervention to address food insecurity in hospitalized children

Area of Science:

• Pediatric healthcare
• Public health nutrition
• Health equity

Background:

• Standard screening for food insecurity in hospitalized children is insufficient, identifying only 4.1% of cases compared to community rates of 18.3%-23.3%.
• Existing methods may miss vulnerable populations, contributing to health disparities.

Purpose of the Study:

• To implement and evaluate a novel, nonclinical screening method for identifying food insecurity in hospitalized children.
• To improve the accuracy of food insecurity identification and address disparities in detection among Hispanic/Latino families.

Main Methods:

• A novel screening tool was administered at a time separate from hospital admission.
• Screening data was analyzed to compare identification rates with community prevalence and standard screening methods.

Main Results:

• The novel screening method identified food insecurity in 18.1% of families, closely matching community rates.
• This method demonstrated improved identification of food insecurity among Spanish-speaking and Hispanic/Latino families compared to standard screening.

Conclusions:

• A nonclinical, admission-uncoupled screening approach is more effective for identifying food insecurity in hospitalized children.
• The findings highlight significant disparities in standard screening practices and underscore the need for culturally sensitive and accessible methods.